Neonatal screening for detection of deafness.

To assess various methods of early detection of deafness, a longtudinal study of infants born in the Jerusalem area was performed. The 17,731 newborns were tested by an acoustic signal generator hearing test (Apriton), and the "at risk" for deafness register was applied to them. Twenty-five children were identified as deaf, 14 with severe or profound hearing loss and 11 with moderate or moderately severe loss. The screening hearing test did not prove to be sensitive enough for detection of deafness in newborns, and, therefore, is not considered valid for screening purposes. The at risk for deafness register, which in our program covered 20% of the entire newborn population, proved to be to expensive and impractical; a restricted register, including approximately 7% of the newborns, is suggested.